only Hear it!

only Definition

only (ōn′lē)

adjective

  1. alone of its or their kind; by itself or by themselves; sole
  2. having no siblings an only child
  3. alone in its or their superiority; best; finest

Etymology: ME < OE anlic < an, one + -lic, -ly

adverb

    1. and no other; and no (or nothing) more; solely; exclusively drink water only
    2. merely; simply
  2. (but) in what follows or in the end to meet one crisis, only to face another
  3. as recently as elected only last fall

Informal were it not that; except that; but I'd have gone, only it rained

only Idioms

if only

would that; I wish that if only they would leave; if they would only try harder

only too

very; exceedingly

only Synonyms

only

modif.

  1. Solely

    exclusively, uniquely, wholly, entirely, severally, particularly, alone, and no other, and no more, and nothing else, undividedly, nothing but, totally, utterly, first and last, one and only; see also individually, singly.

  2. Merely

    just, simply, plainly, barely, solely; see also hardly.

  3. Sole

    single, without another, companionless, by oneself, isolated, apart, unaccompanied, exclusive, unique, unclassified; see also alone 1, solitary.

only Usage Examples

Modifying Another Word

  • not: Dialog between persons, between faiths, is not only to learn about each other.
  • possibly: The book is not recorded in the standard bibliographies but is considered to be the rare first and possibly only edition.
  • also: Also only men were allowed to act, the parts of women were played by boys.

Infinitive complement

  • establish: It is not only to establish a relationship between I and You.
  • learn: Dialog between persons, between faiths, is not only to learn about each other.
  • set: The purpose of the consultation paper is not only to set out the relevant law and to explain the problems which have arisen.

Modifies a noun

  • one: We are the only one to actually offer 5 times more exposure than you do.
  • way: The only way to defend anything, Hubbard wrote, was to attack.
  • thing: Sleep was the only thing which would restore the balance of my constitution.
  • exception: The only exception is where your college does not own the accommodation but rents it for your use.
  • reason: The ending of the film is also very predictable; the only real reason to watch Secret Window is for Depp's terrific performance.
  • person: That meant that Mrs F Muthy was the only person on the premises.

Used with adjective complement

  • shower: Bad Points: Very small room and cramped bathroom ( shower only ).
  • see: It was Crusaders that suffered most from the disruption in the flow of play, seeing only Collins on target for the home side.